2010 Honda Insight consumer reviews

Had doubts about buying a hybrid, but loving it. It is fun to drive the EX with the paddle shifters. Great mileage averaging about 43 mpg right now. My 16 year old son thinks it looks cool and doesn't mind driving it.

I just got this car last week. I was looking for a hatchback that good fuel economy. I previously owned a Toyota Corolla and was looking for a car with more personality. I also wanted to try a Honda. The exterior styling of the car is really cool and I like the small size of the car. The rear visibility of the back window is poor but I got used to it quickly. The interior dash panel is kind of 80's retro looking. Some of the interior feels cheap to me especially the plastic along the doors. I do like the seat fabric and it does feel quite roomy. I love how the rear back seats fold down almost all the way - lots of room for hauling stuff. I wish it came with sirius satellite radio as an option. The stereo system is pretty good. The eco assist option is really fun and teaches you how to drive efficiently. The car is not very powerful and acceleration is slow. It feels like the car is really working to accelerate. The car also shudders at stops when it turns off. The car is also quite noisey. I don't seem to be getting the fuel economy that the EPA states, I get more around 35 mpg on the street. Overall, I don't think I would buy this car again as it was way over priced.

I wanted the original one but was waiting for my 1997 Tacoma to wear out first and then Honda stopped making the Insight. Found a used 2010 LX trade in for a good price with low miles and was not going to let it happen again so now I have both. Just started driving it in October and was flirting with 49-50mpg on my daily commute when the temperature dropped and am now averaging 46mpg here in New England. The Tacoma gets 19mpg. I'm 5"11"and 280 lbs (two people weight)and fit nicely into it but wish the seat went back another two inches. I take my shoe off and the distance is perfect and that's how I drive it. All the dash controls are good and easily accessible and I like the layout. The comfort control is great other than ride suspension. I like the hatchback and leave the rear seats down so the dogs have room. The ride is FIRM and if you pump up the tires to get a bit better mileage the ride gets NASTY FIRM but I can live with it. The ride reminds me of a sportscar I once had. The Insight has been handling like it's on rails to my handling amasement and comfort consternation. I've read the new 2011 LX model has a downgraded stereo but added VSC. Personally I'll take the 2010 LX sound system and do my own VehicleSpeedControl. The 4speaker sound system is fantastic and I would not want less of a sound system. I bought this car to commute to work untill I can afford an electric model. And it's cut my gasoline usage by more than half so I'm happy with it. Thankfully it has a low fuel warning because after two weeks of driving I forget to look at the fuel gage and the warning will remind me to gas up. You really have to work at it to keep the mileage up, this is not a car for someone that doesn't care to try for maximum mileage because you can drop the mileage quickly by being inattentive and heavy on the gas pedal. One more thing, this car never runs electric. It has an electric assist motor for acceleration only. And that's it's only function. This car never runs only electric and I often wonder why it's called a hybrid. I am happy I bought it but would have a hard time recommending this to the general driving masses you know, all the one person per car commuters. I still am but now I use less than half the fuel I did before.

Insight is very aerodynamic and runs smoothly for a controlled-variable transmission. Only complaint I have is that the stock tires are not very good. Already had to have one replaced just from driving over train tracks. Shortly after, I filled tires w/ nitrogen and immediately got 3-5 more MPGs.

I enjoy driving the Insight. The electronic doors and windows feature is new to me and love them. Driving to Ashland Oregon from the Bay Area was very comfortable. A bit slow chugging up the hills. The dash showing mileage with changing background colors of green [eco] to dark blue [not-eco] was a bit disconcerting and distracting. The dash so bright I often forgot to turn on headlights at night, now I'm more careful. The car jerks a bit each morning, but not greatly. The handling is very nice, tight cornering. I'm 5 feet tall and found visibility checking rear not a problem, like the seat height adjustment feature.

I bought the EX model at year end sale mostly for my wife and consider it a very good value. Complaints about the small rear seat are accurate, it really could use another 2" longer wheelbase. I have driven both gen 2 and 3 Prius. The 2009 and earlier versions have no road feel and I would not want them. The new one is vastly improved and would suit a family better than the Insight. For 2 or Mustang style 2+2 occasional seating the Insight is viable. The front seats are very comfortable for me (6' 2") with good lumbar and lateral support similar to my VW tdi. I honestly do enjoy driving it. If your taste runs toward cushy seats and ride shop Toyota or Buick. Fuel economy is never below 43 and often over 50 for us, occasionally up to 55. In other words pretty much on par with the gen 2 prius and easily better than the EPA prediction. Around town it is better than my TDI and about the same on open roads. The VW has significantly more pep. Love the instrumentation that presents cues useful for efficient driving in front of you and logically. I have also noticed that the split rear window can help block headlights in the rear view mirror as someone mentioned above. Power is adequate but no more. Sport mode won't add much zip to acceleration but used with paddle shifters reasonable acceleration can be achieved while controlling engine rpm to avoid buzziness that some reviewers have complained about. The engine revs pretty fast and can be annoying if you just floor the pedal in eco mode. Toyota fans make a big deal of their "full hybrid" status but I see little value in their ability to drive less than a mile electrically. Eventually you have to burn gas to recharge. The Honda is simpler and 300 pounds lighter while achieving almost as much fuel efficiency. The lack of floor mats and a cover for cargo under the hatchback on the EX is a cheap touch that should be addressed by Honda. We put a trailer hitch on to carry bikes and the installation was not difficult.

Great car, really aids you in driving correctly. Wish leather wasan option and that they would put auto lights on newer models. Push button start would also be better than having to use a key. other than the above, the car is GREAT! I just traded off my 2009 Smart Car and could not be happier!

I have owned my new 2010 Honda Insight LX for about two and a half months now, and can honestly say I got much more than I anticipated. I am consistently averaging over 50 mpg with mpgs topping out at 60 if I'm careful on the highway and keep between 60-65 mph. For those concerned with its performance I can safely say it is rather peppy for a hybrid, and accelerates from rest much faster than the 2010 Toyota Prius (The Insight can spin its tires around corners, try that in a prius!). The Prius is faster as speeds increase to about 40 mph though. My family owns both the 2010 Prius and 2010 Insight with my preference being the Insight. Styling is great, much more aggressive than the Prius and it gets many looks from passersby. I enjoy driving both hybrids, but for affordability reasons (I am a recent college grad) I chose the Honda Insight.

I've had my Insight LX for about a week. It is a wonderful car. My wife drives a 2008 Civic Hybrid, which is a very pleasant car. The Insight in many ways is an improvement over the Civic. Although the Civic is larger in terms of passenger room, it has better cargo space due to the hatchback and fold-down seat. The hybrid technology of the Insight is more refined than the Civic, leading to a more pleasant driving experience. This is particularly true due to the programming recall/update that was done on 2008 Civic hybrids, which has lead to somewhat reduced fuel economy and less acceleration power. The Insight is extremely well designed. The interior is pleasant and feels very comfortable for a 5'9" driver. As has been noted, the back seat leg room is limited, but the importance of this depends on one's need. It does not seem to be a problem for short people. This is really a 4 person car, not a 5 person car, although it may be possible to cram three into the back seat. The cargo space is very good. MPG has been excellent, as I have averaged around 47 on the first tank in largely around-town driving. Some people complain about rear visibility, but I have not found that a problem at all--at least not so far. The car is fun to drive, handles very well, and has plenty of acceleration for my needs, even in ECON mode. Given the price, which is now being heavily discounted at Honda dealers (because Americans are short-sighted and have slowed purchasing hybrids considerably), it blows the Prius away. I love the car so far.

I bought my insight with 6k miles, like new. I had read all the reviews on Scions, Prius, Honda fits etc, and I wanted a stylish car but MPG was my motivater. I also wanted value for the buck. I love it, I get 40mpg at 80miles per hour with the air on. If I bring it down to 65mph it jumps to 43mpg on the high way.....around town I get 46 MPG!, I had a mini van getting19 around town, and I still have the hatchback to throw stuff back there, ..I don't miss the pit stops at the gas station....Hybrid Honda RUles!!